U.S. patent number 4,171,857 [Application Number 05/908,937] was granted by the patent office on 1979-10-23 for cleat connector for insulated wires.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Krone GmbH. Invention is credited to Horst Forberg, Manfred Muller.
United States Patent |
4,171,857 |
Forberg , et al. |
October 23, 1979 |
Cleat connector for insulated wires
Abstract
The invention relates to a structure including a cleat connector
for providing an electrical connection between an insulated wire
and a bifurcated terminal element of electrically conductive
resilient material. The terminal element includes a pair of
leaf-spring contact arms lying in a plane and defined by a
centrally located slot therein having sharp edges and adjoining an
enlarged entry opening. The width of the slot is less than the
diameter of the metallic conductor of the wire so that when the
wire is pressed into the slot, the wire insulation is cut through,
and an electrical connection is established between the wire
conductor and the terminal element. A clamping element is
associated with the terminal element for gripping the insulated
wire.
Inventors: |
Forberg; Horst (Berlin,
DE), Muller; Manfred (Berlin, DE) |
Assignee: |
Krone GmbH (Berlin,
DE)
|
Family
ID: |
6010884 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/908,937 |
Filed: |
May 24, 1978 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/402; 439/942;
439/922 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
4/2429 (20130101); H01R 4/242 (20130101); H01R
4/64 (20130101); H01R 13/58 (20130101); H01R
4/64 (20130101); H01R 13/112 (20130101); H01R
13/58 (20130101); Y10S 439/922 (20130101); Y10S
439/942 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
4/24 (20060101); H01R 4/64 (20060101); H01R
13/115 (20060101); H01R 13/58 (20060101); H01R
009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/98,99,97R,97P |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Weingarten, Maxham &
Schurgin
Claims
What we claim is:
1. A structure including a cleat connector for providing an
electrical connection with an insulated wire, said connector
comprising:
a carrier plate;
a flat bifurcated terminal element of electrically conductive
resilient material mounted on said carrier plate, said terminal
element including a pair of leaf-spring contact arms lying in a
plane defined by a centrally located slot therein having sharp
edges and adjoining an enlarged entry opening in the terminal
element, said slot in the terminal element having a width which is
less than the diameter of the metallic conductor of the wire so
that when the wire is pressed into the slot, the wire insulation is
cut through and an electrical contact connection is established
between the wire conductor and the terminal element; and
a clamping element attached to said carrier plate and associated
with the terminal element for gripping the insulated wire;
wherein the improvement comprises:
said clamping element being constructed as an insulating member and
having an open slot extending centrally with respect to a
rectangular cross-sectional surface area thereof and vertically
downward;
said terminal element being fixedly disposed on said carrier plate
at an angle offset by about 45.degree. with respect to the slot in
said clamping element; and
said clamping element substantially enclosing the terminal element
in its structural configuration.
2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein the insulating member
of said clamping element is provided with ratchet devices, clamping
studs, and retaining ribs for securing the inserted wire.
3. A structure according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of said
cleat connectors are fixedly disposed adjacent to each other on
said carrier plate in the form of a structural unit.
4. A structure according to claim 3 wherein one half of each
clamping element together with the other half of an adjacent
clamping element forms an integral unit.
5. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said cleat connector
further includes a second flat bifurcated terminal element of the
same construction as said first-mentioned terminal element and
connected thereto by means of a transverse web, said
first-mentioned and second terminals and the interconnecting
transverse web comprising a unitary double terminal element.
6. A structure according to claim 5 wherein each of said flat
terminal elements form an angle of about 45.degree. with respect to
the plane of said transverse web, and said interconnected terminal
elements form an angle of 90.degree. with respect to each
other.
7. A structure according to claim 6 wherein said carrier plate has
a slotted guide strip which extends longitudinally in the center of
said carrier plate and into which the double terminal elements are
inserted.
8. A structure according to claim 6 wherein a contact spring is
disposed on the transverse web of said double terminal element.
9. A structure according to claim 6 wherein the structural unit is
provided with at least two ducts for a plurality of incoming and/or
outgoing insulated wires which are to be connected.
10. A structure according to claim 9 wherein at least one wire
guide loop is formed on the carrier plate and at least one wire
guide loop is formed on the insulating member.
11. A structure according to claim 6 wherein a plurality of said
cleat connectors are fixedly disposed adjacent to one another or
said carrier plate in the form of a structural unit, and one half
of each clamping element together with the other half of an
adjacent clamping element forms an integral unit.
12. A structure according to claim 11 further including a grounding
contact disposed on said carrier plate.
Description
More particularly, the invention relates to an improvement of such
a cleat connector, or of a modified embodiment thereof, so that a
substantially larger number of such cleat connectors can be
accommodated on a terminal strip in an even smaller space.
According to the present invention the cleat connector for an
insulated wire comprises a carrier plate, and a flat bifurcated
terminal element of electrically conductive resilient material
mounted on the carrier plate. The terminal element includes a pair
of leaf-spring contact arms lying in a plane and defined by a
centrally located slot therein having sharp edges and adjoining an
enlarged entry opening in the terminal element.
The width of the slot is less than the diameter of the metallic
conductor of the wire so that when the wire is pressed into the
slot, the wire insulation is cut through, and an electrical
connection is established between the wire conductor and the
terminal element. The connector further includes a clamping element
which is associated with the terminal element and is intended for
gripping the insulated wire. The improvement comprises the clamping
element being constructed as an insulating member and having a slot
extending centrally with respect to a rectangular cross-sectional
surface area thereof and vertically downward. Further, the terminal
element is fixedly disposed on the carrier plate at an angle offset
by about 45.degree. with respect to the slot in the clamping
element, and the clamping element substantially encloses the
terminal element in its structural configuration.
One embodiment of the present invention will be described now by
way of example only with particular reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a terminal strip
comprising a plurality of cleat connectors according to the
invention, this view showing three double terminal connector
elements;
FIG. 2 is the plan view of part of the terminal strip according to
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a section along the line I--I of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a complete terminal strip according to
FIGS. 1 to 3;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the terminal strip according to FIG. 4,
and
FIG. 6 is an end view of the terminal strip according to FIGS. 4
and 5.
In the illustrated structure, each cleat connector 23 for one or
more insulated wires or cable conductors 3 comprises a flat
bifurcated terminal element 10 which is constructed of a spring
metal, and a clamping element 20 which is constructed of plastic as
an insulating member 20a (FIG. 1). The clamping element 20 has a
vertical slot 22 which extends centrally with respect to one edge
of the insulating member 20a, i.e. centrally with respect to its
rectangular cross-sectional surface area 21, slot 22 being provided
for insertion therein of a wire 3. The terminal element 10 is
arranged at an angle of 45.degree. to the slot 22 and is
substantially enclosed by the clamping element 20. The clamping
element 20 is attached to a carrier plate 23a, thus constituting a
structural unit 24 in which the terminal element 10 is also fixedly
disposed (FIGS. 1 and 2).
The wire 3 is connected by being inserted manually into the slot
22. The wire then engages behind a retaining device 20d and is
disposed in an enlarged opening 10c of the terminal element 10. The
wire 3 is moved into its clamping and connecting position by means
of a setting tool. In this operation the wire 3 is pressed into a
centrally located contact slot 10d having a width less than the
diameter of the wire conductor. As a result of the terminal element
10 being offset at an angle, the edges of the slot 10d penetrate
through the insulation of the wire 3 and contact the wire
conductor. The wire 3 is simultaneously cut off with the setting
tool. It will be noted that slot 10d thereby defines a pair of
leaf-spring contact arms on terminal element 10 which lie in the
plane thereof.
To secure the connecting wire the clamping element 20 is provided
with four clamping studs 20c which penetrate into the insulation of
the wire and provide an effective cord grip.
To additionally secure the wire 3 it is guided through wire ducts
25, 25' upstream of the connecting plate and is again guided over a
ratchet device 20b (FIGS. 2 and 3).
As indicated in FIG. 3 every two terminal elements 10 and 10'
together with a transverse web 10a are combined into one unit.
Every two or all clamping elements 20, 20', 20" . . . are likewise
connected to each other. This double terminal element 10 and 10' is
retained centrally in a slotted guide strip 23b of the carrier
plate 23a.
Between the two terminal elements 10 and 10' the cross web 10a
supports a contact spring 10b for accommodating an arrester stack
(FIG. 3).
The complete structural unit of the terminal strip 24 is obtained
by joining together a plurality of cleat connectors 23 in which one
half of the clamping element 20 is combined into an integral unit
with the adjacent half 20' (FIG. 1).
To combine several wires 3, for example in the form of a cable
harness, each of the two ends as well as the middle bottom of the
carrier plate 23a of the complete terminal strip 24 is provided
with a wire guide loop 28 and 28' as indicated in FIGS. 1, 4 and
6.
Each of the endfaces of the terminal strip 24 is provided with a
mounting screw 27 for mounting on a rack not shown (FIGS. 1 and
5).
Each of the ends of the carrier plate 23a supports a grounding
contact 29, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, for receiving an
arrester stack.
As can be seen more particularly by reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 the
complete terminal strip, based on the previously described details
of the invention, can be manufactured in a very compact
construction, thus permitting substantially improved utilisation of
the available space.
* * * * *